


When in Rome

by ALH1997



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: F/M, Family, Family Hoilday, Two weeks in Italy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-29
Updated: 2020-03-29
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:14:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 13,582
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23378212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ALH1997/pseuds/ALH1997
Summary: David Rossi finally manages to get Erin and Jess out to Italy to meet his family. Story about their Italian adventures, might be a little romance between Dave and Erin. Set in the middle of Season 12, Jack and Hotch in Witness Protection. Enjoy!
Relationships: David Rossi/Erin Strauss
Kudos: 1





	1. Chapter 1

This was it; I was finally going to Italy. Dad had been talking about taking me and mom across for a few years now. He was really keen for me to embrace the Italian side of my family;

_“You are Italian, bambina.” He had said to me one evening when he was showing me photos of him growing up, “you need to be proud of that!”_

And I was, I didn’t have much in the way of family, so any bit of it I was proud of. I knew that, through my Dad, I had a Grandmother, who was very old and lived in Italy. Dad had told me how she had moved back out there after his father had passed away while Dad was serving in Vietnam with the Marines. He also had a sister who was 10 years his junior. She was called Anthea, which was my middle name. Anthea lived in Rome and was a curator for one of the historic churches in the city. Nanna lived in the country, in the peace and quiet as she called it. I loved listening to stories about her and her life.

_“Dad?” I had asked one day, sitting on the sofa in his den._

_“Yes?” he had replied, not looking up from his work._

_“What’s nanna like?”_

_Dad had put his pen down and looked at me. He thought for a minute and then smiled, “She’s a very strong woman. Very strong and fiercely protective of the ones she loves. I remember she tried to talk me out of national service, but I refused. Everyone else I knew was joining up and plus, it kept me out of joining the organized crime ring that seemed to be growing in Commack.”_

_“Is that why she moved back to Italy?” I asked._

_Dad thought again for a minute, “Partly, but she also couldn’t bear being in America without my Dad. She moved out here when they got married, but her home was always Italy. Some of my earliest memories of her were her talking about her love of the country she was from.”_

_I smiled, “She sounds like an incredible woman.”_

_Dad nodded, “Oh yeah! She is! I’d love for you to meet her one day.”_

_“Does she know about me?”_

_He nodded. “I told her just days after your mom told me! She’s always wanted grandbabies. She came close when Caroline and I were expecting James but… things happen for a reason. Who knows, if James had lived, I might not have you in my life!” He had smiled sadly and walked over to the couch._

_“Do you think we could take a trip out there one summer?” I asked, as he had sat next to me and put his arm round my shoulder, pulling me in close._

_“I think that’s a possibility bambina.” He said softly, kissing the top of my head._

It wasn’t until the summer before I turned 18 that we made plans to go over to Italy. This was the year that Peter Lewis was tormenting the BAU. Aaron and Jack had been in the program for 6 months now, Dad and Mom were stressed at work and felt that I needed to get away from the states and worrying about Jack. They managed to get three weeks off together, Mom using her weight in the BAU to influence the decision. I had gone to the BAU after school on their last day before we headed out to Italy. The whole team were there, apart from Spence, which was rare these days. I poked my head in the bullpen. Tara, Stephen and Luke were sat working at their desk, Dad was sat at his desk in his office, Emily was in the conference room with Penelope. My eyes landed on Luke again, his head was bopping along in time with music, so he had his headphones in. Quietly, I walked over to where he was sat and placed my hands on his shoulders.

Luke jumped about a foot in the air and swore. I was bent double laughing.

“Not funny, Jess!” he said, but he was smiling.

“I’m sorry!” I replied when I had composed myself, “You were in your own little bubble, I couldn’t help it!”

Tara looked up from her notes and smiled, “Someone scare Alvez?”

“I wasn’t scared!” Luke replied, defiantly, “She just…”

“Scared you?” added Stephen.

“Man, whose side are you on?”

“Hers.” He pointed at me, “Her mom is our boss, I’m not stupid!”

I gave Stephen a thumbs up and winked.

Luke poked his tongue out at me and paused his music, “What are you doing here anyway, Jess. I thought you would have been at Ashley’s or at home?”

“Can’t go to Ashley’s after school because of the whole Scratch thing.” I rolled my eyes, “Dad doesn’t want me putting anyone in danger.”

Luke shrugged, “That’s understandable…”

“It’s stupid is what it is.” I sighed, putting my backpack under the desk and perching on the edge of his desk, “I can’t see my boyfriend, hell, I can’t even talk to my boyfriend, Spence is locked up for a crime we all know he didn’t commit and to top it all off, I can’t even hang out with my best mate.”

“Jess, you know that your parents are doing it because they love you and they are worried about your safety, we all are.” Said Stephen, smiling at me.

“I know, it’s just so annoying!”

Tara smiled, “I’m pretty sure parents are meant to be at your age.”

I laughed.

“Anyway, how come you’re not at home?” asked Luke again.

“Oh. Mom wanted me to meet her here so that we could all go home together and start our holiday properly.”

“Of course, it’s the big Rossi vacation!” smiled Tara.

“You excited?” asked Stephen.

I nodded, “I’ve been asking Dad for ages if we can go and now, we are!” My smile faltered a bit, “I’m nervous though.”

“Why?” asked Luke, looking puzzled.

“I’m going to meet my nanna for the first time, and I’m worried she won’t like me.”

Tara scoffed, “She’s going to love you, girl!”

“You’re family, my guess is she loves you already.” Added Stephen.

“Jess, there’s nothing anyone couldn’t love about you. You’ve got this!” Luke winked and me and squeezed my hands.

I smiled, “Thanks guys!”

Before they had a chance to reply, there was a squeal from the catwalk. I looked up and Penelope had come out of the conference room, spotted me and was heading over. Emily followed, shaking her head amused.

“Baby Rossi!” she squealed, making her way over.

“Hey Penelope!” I chuckled, sliding off the desk and making my way over to her. She hugged me tightly.

“How is my favourite mini-Italian Stallion doing?”

“I’m doing fine.”

“Missing that boy of yours?”

I nodded, “And Spence.”

“Ah, we all miss the boy wonder, but we’re working our hardest to get him out of there.”

I smiled, “I have a letter for him. Could you take it the next time you go see him? I would take it myself but, we’re going away.”

“Sure thing, sweet cheeks.” She took the letter, “I will give this to the boy wonder the next time I see him!”

I smiled, “Thanks Penelope!” and I hugged her.

“When do you guys leave?” asked Emily.

“Friday.” I replied, “We’re packing up the house tomorrow and then Jack Garrett has offered to drive us over to the airport so that we don’t have to leave the car.”

“Sweet. What time is the flight?”

“Seven in the morning!” I laughed. “It’s going to be interesting seeing my dad be up at three in the morning!”

“Oh, that I have got to see!” laughed Penelope, “Please take a photo!”

I laughed, “I’ll try and remember!”

“Remember what?” asked Dad, coming out of his office having heard all the noise.

“Nothing!” and I smiled innocently at him.

“Hmm…” he looked suspicious.

“All ready for the holiday, Dave?” asked Stephen, smiling.

“I don’t think I’ve ever known Dave take a holiday!” said JJ.

“Didn’t you give all you vacation days away last time?” asked Penelope.

Dad nodded, “Yeah, but I think its about time a grandmother met her grandbaby. She’s been dying to meet Jess for two years now and well, with all that’s going on, two weeks in Italy sounds pretty safe right now.”

The team smiled sadly.

“It’s going to be fun!” I said, ginning from ear to ear. “I get to meet my family, see the sights, drink some Italian wine…”

“Er, what was that last one?” smiled Dad, putting his arm round my shoulder.

“Nothing!” I said again.

“That’s what I thought!” smiled Dad and he kissed the top of my forehead.

“There you are Jessica!” said Mom, as she walked in through the doors.

“Sorry, I came straight in here today!”

“I can see that!” she smiled at the team and then looked at Dad. “I’ve got some paper work I need to send off to the director and then we’re good to go.”

Dad smiled, “I’ve got some reports I need to sign off on and then I’m all good!”

“Meet you in the lobby in five?” she asked.

Dad nodded and went back to his office.

I couldn’t believe it. This was really happening. I was going on holiday.

“Someone say hi to Spencer for me when you go and see him?” I asked, picking up my bag.

“Sure thing.” Said Emily.

“Have fun!” said Matt.

“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!” called Luke as I walked out the door.

“Yeah, what’s she supposed to do, sit on her hands all day!” I heard Penelope say, as I entered the lobby. I shook my head laughing.

“What’s so funny?” asked Mom.

“Something Penelope said.” I replied. “You ready for the off?”

She nodded. “How does takeout sound for dinner this evening? I can’t be bothered to cook something, and I think your dad would feel the same.”

“Sounds good to me.” I replied, smiling.

“What sounds good?” asked Dad.

“We’re getting takeout for dinner!” I smiled.

“Sounds good!” he smiled, placing his arm round my shoulder again.

“Come on, we’ve got a holiday to start!” said Dad, as he pressed the lift button to go down.

I linked hands with mom and smiled. She smiled back and we all walked into the lift together. As we turned around, the team were stood behind the doors in the BAU, waving. I waved back and smiled. I would miss the team, but I was more excited for the adventure that lay ahead.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Apologies if I got the American Airport system wrong. I live in the UK and have only flown a couple of times so I'm basing my experience on that. For anyone interested, the Rossi's are flying with United Airlines and I did google them for photos of their first class!

Three in the morning came around too quickly. Mom came into my room and shook my shoulder lightly.

“C’mon, Jess. Time to get up, sweet girl.”

I rubbed my eyes and smiled, “I’m up!” I said groggily.

“Get dressed and get your bag. There’s a coffee in the kitchen for you. Garrett will be here in half an hour.”

I smiled, “I’ll be right there.”

“Don’t go back to sleep, missy!” and she left the room.

I sat up and rubbed my eyes. My room was still dark so I switched my bedside light on, swung my legs over the side of my bed and hunted for something to wear. I decided on a dress and leggings, with trainers and a cardigan. I tied my hair up in a ponytail and grabbed my backpack and headed out the door. My suitcase was already in the main hall. I ran down the stairs and into the kitchen. Mom was stood at the counter with a cup of coffee in her hands.

“Hey.” I said, dumping my bag in the armchair and walking into the kitchen.

“Ten minutes to get ready. Not bad, Jess.”

I laughed, “Thank mom!” I poked out my tongue, “Where’s Dad?”

“He should be coming. You know what your father is like for mornings.”

I laughed, “Did you tell him he could sleep on the plane?”

Mom laughed too. “Maybe I should’ve!”

“It’s too early to be laughing!” came Dad’s voice from the other end of the living room.

“Morning Dad!”

Dad came into the kitchen, smiling and shaking his head.

“Oh, to be young and full of energy.”

“He’s saying this now but wait until he’s in Italy. He’ll be like a three-year-old!”

“Hey, I’m Italian, I’m allowed to be excited when I go home!”

“Weren’t you born in Long Island?” I asked, smiling a little.

“That’s beside the point!” he said, pointing his finger at me and smiling.

I smiled back, “When’s Jack getting here?”

“He text me about five minutes ago saying he’d just left his, so another five minutes?” said Dad.

“We should go wait on the porch for him.” Said Mom, emptying the rest of her coffee and rinsing the mug.

“Hey, where’s my coffee?” protested Dad.

Mom smiled, “I’ll buy you one at the airport!” she said, kissing his cheek as she headed for the hall.

“You’d better!” and he followed her out.

I shook my head. “Honestly!” I muttered, grabbing my bag and heading for the hall. “I think I’ve got children for parents!”

45 minutes later and we were pulling up outside the airport. It was half four in the morning by this point and already the airport was busy. Mom and Dad thanked Jack as he helped them pull the suitcases out of the boot. He hugged me and hoped that we had a nice vacation. Mom and Dad strolled into the airport, Dad pulling their suitcase in one hand, holding Mom’s hand with the other. I slung my backpack over my shoulder and followed them in, pulling my suitcase behind me. Dad seemed to know where he was going so I followed him. The only other time I had been in an airport was when we went to Florida. Mom and I would do weekend trips to New York, but we’d always drive or take the train. The airport seemed just as big as it did as when I was six. There were so many people coming and going. Some people were sleeping, waiting for their flight to be announced, others were running to and from gates, others were milling around. Dad led us straight to the check in desk. I handed over my passport, smiling at the woman behind the desk. She gave me a small smile as she handed it back, ticket tucked inside. We placed our suitcases on the conveyor belt and headed for security.

We made it through security with no fuss. Mom and I had laughed as Dad had to be searched, but he laughed too. We walked along a corridor and arrived in the duty-free lounge. Dad had got us all first-class tickets, so we headed to find the first class lounge. It was a section off the main area, with sliding doors. We headed inside and sat on some sofas. I snuggled into Mom, trying not to fall asleep. It was now half 5. We had an hour and a half to wait for our flight.

“How about some breakfast?” smiled Dad, seeing that I was struggling to stay awake.

I nodded, “Sounds great Dad.” I said, yawning.

He stood up and held out his hand, “C’mon then kiddo, let’s go find some.”

I groaned but stood up, leaving my bag with mom.

“It’s too early for this!” I said as we headed back out into duty-free.

“And you were laughing at me for being tired!” Dad shook his head, smiling.

“Yeah,” I smiled too, ‘but your my dad, I’m allowed to!”

Dad laughed, “Should’ve seen that one coming!”

We found a little café that sold pastries and Dad got a selection along with three coffees. We headed back to mom.

“How you feeling Jessie?” Dad asked as we walked back.

“Besides tired, I’m fine.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Stephen was talking to me before we left yesterday. Said you were apprehensive about meeting nanna?”

I sighed, “I am a little. But I think that’s natural. I’ve never met her before. I know I’ve been talking to her but that’s not going to be the same as actually talking to her in the flesh and what if she doesn’t like me or what if I’m not what she was expecting in a granddaughter and what if all the stuff about Jason…”

“Woah, Jess. Slow down.” Said Dad, stopping and placing the box of pastries on a chair. He looked at me, “Listen, nanna is going to love you. She doesn’t know anything about Jason, only that he’s dead and that he treated your mom badly. She doesn’t need to know more than that, ok? As for not being what she expected in a granddaughter,” he laughed, “well, she didn’t expect a granddaughter at all and now she has two. So, she has no expectations about how you ought to be ok. So, you just be you and she will love you. I promise.”

I smiled, “Sorry.”

He smiled back, “You have nothing to be sorry for!” he kissed the top of my forehead, “Now let’s get back to your mom before she thinks we got lost!”

We sat and ate breakfast while we waited for our flight to be called out. At one point I must have fallen asleep as I was woken by Mom saying, “Come on Jess, the gate is open!”

Rubbing sleep out of my eyes again, I grabbed my backpack and followed Mom and Dad to the gate. It didn’t take us that long. I handed the stewardess my ticket and she pointed the way to my seat. First class was so cool. It was like we had our own little compartments. There were three in a row. Mom let me sit in the window seat, she took the one next to mine and Dad took the other window seat. Putting my backpack under my seat, I pulled out a book. My backpack was basically books. Spencer had lent me a few of his books including Plato’s _The Republic_ and Dante’s Divine Comedy. But I also had a few favourites including _Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Sophie’s World_ and _Good Omens._ The one I had pulled out was another Neil Gaiman book called _Neverwhere._ I loved it. I had read it before but was re-reading it for the third time. Mom looked over at me as I tried to cram the other books back in my bag.

“Did you leave any books at home?” she asked smiling. I scowled at her and opened my book to where I had got to. Richard Mayhew had just said goodbye to Dor and was beginning to realise just how much his life had changed. Mom smiled and put in her headphones, Dad had pushed his seat back and had a file from work open. I shook my head. Dad couldn’t leave work alone but its what made him my Dad.

Half way through the flight, I decided to see what films they had on offer, _Inside Out_ was up but I had gone to see that with Henry and Michael a few weeks ago. _Avengers: Age of Ultron_ was on, but I wasn’t that interested. In the end, I decided on _Jurassic World_ having been a fan of the originals. It was a classic date night with Jack. We’d whole up in the attic room and watch old movies. If we weren’t watching _Jurassic Park,_ we’d watch _Gremlins_ or _Jaws_ or some other old movie. But I was curious to see how the new franchise was going to be. However, I fell asleep ten minutes in.

_Jess! Jess!_

Someone was calling my name. I opened my eyes blearily. Dad was crouched down in front of me, smiling.

“Look out of your window, bambina.” He said, softly.

I looked out of the window. Below me, I could see rolling fields and blue countryside.

“Welcome to Italy!” Dad said.


	3. Chapter 3

The plane landed and we left in an orderly fashion. Getting through security was interesting but we managed it and we headed for baggage reclaim.

“Dad?” I asked, a thought popping into my head, “How are we getting to nanna’s?”

Dad smiled, “I’ve rented a car. I’ve been over enough times to know the way and I’m used to driving on the wrong side of the road!”

I smiled, “I thought Anthea might be picking us up or something.”

“She offered, but I told her I was renting a car. It also means that we can go out and explore, instead of waiting for her to be free.”

“Does Anthea live with Nanna?” I was burning with questions and more awake since my sleep on the plane.

Dad shook his head, “Mom’s stubborn. She won’t let Anthea live with her. She doesn’t want to be a burden and she’s independent. She likes to be able to do things.”

Mom smiled, “No wonder I like her so much.”

Dad laughed, “She’s a unique woman, my mother that’s for sure.”

“What about Anthea?” I asked, as we got to the turntable.

“Anthea is sweet, but she’s inherited my mother’s spirit. She’s not afraid to fight for what she believes in and she’s fiercely loyal of those she loves. She reminds me a lot of you.” He looked at me, while mom watched for our suitcases.

“Really?”

“I’ve often said it; you look so much like her and you’ve got the same personality and qualities that make you both amazing people. I really think you’ll like her Jessie.”

I smiled, “I hope so.”

“I know so, kiddo!” he smiled, putting his arm around my shoulder and pulling me close, “I know so!” and he kissed the top of my head.

Minutes later, we had our luggage and headed for the car rental place. Dad handed over his booking form and before I knew it, we were cruising through the Italian countryside. Nanna lived up in the hills outside of Rome. Dad told me on the way that it was near Lake Bracciano and she lived on her own, in the a wooded area just off Via Monte Agliano. The nearest town was Monticello and she was a 50 minute drive away from Rome itself. Dad had promised that we would spend a few days in the capital, including a visit into Vatican City. Anthea lived closer to the lake, in a little village called Grotta del Pianaro, a twenty minute drive from Nanna. She spent most of her time Rome, being a curator at both the Pantheon and Santa Maria del Popolo but she would often check in on her elderly mother, making sure she was alright. We would be staying in Nanna’s house. My grandfather, Marco, had been a wealthy man and so had left her a reasonable estate, that she now lived in. I would be able to have my own room and Dad had assured me I would get some good views of the lake and the surrounding country.

All too soon, we were rolling up the long drive. Then the house came into view. It was beautiful. The walls were a creamy colour and there were flower beds outside the windows. The garden stretched behind the house for miles. There was a red fiat 500 in the driveway which I assumed was Anthea’s car. Smoke was coming out the chimney and Dad chuckled.

“Mom’s cooking.” He said, pointing at the chimney.

He pulled up next to Anthea’s car and turned to look at me. Mom smiled in the mirror. “Ready?” he asked, smiling kindly.

I nodded, smiling back.

“Don’t worry about bags and things. Mom will want to get to know you and feed you!” he laughed as he opened his door. “We’ll get them later!”

I breathed out slowly and opened my door. Climbing out of the car, I squinted up at the sky. It was brilliantly blue, and the sun was beating down. It was coming up for midday, but it was pushing close to 89 degrees. I shut the door gently and smiled at mom. She offered her hand and I took it, squeezing it gently. Mom had been out once before, a few years ago when I was at camp with Ashley. Dad took Mom’s hand and together we walked up to the door. Dad was just about to knock on it when it was flung open.

My nanna stood in the doorway. She was a short woman, with dark brown hair that was flaked with grey. She had red rimmed glasses and big brown eyes. She was nearly ninety but still full of life. She had an apron tied round her waist and her arms were open, a massive smile on her face. I couldn’t help but smile.

“David! È passato troppo tempo!” she said in Italian, hugging her son, tightly.

“Lo so, mamma, mi dispiace!” he replied, also in Italian.

“It’s good job I love you then!” she said, and her English was very good.

“Mamma, I believe you remember my partner, Erin.” He said, smiling at Mom.

Mom walked forward and got a hug.

“Erin,” Nanna smiled, “Of course I remember. She has face of angel, how could I forget!”

Mom smiled, “It’s nice to see you to, Antonia. You haven’t aged a day since I was last here!”

“Oh hush, what rubbish!” but she cupped Mom’s cheeks, “But its nice of you to say!”

Dad took my hand and brought me forward, “And this is Jessica, your grandbaby.”

Nanna looked at me and I smiled. Tears welled in her eyes and she hugged me tightly.

“Jessica, non sai per quanto tempo ho aspettato di incontrarti!” She held me by my shoulders and looked at me carefully, “You have your father’s eyes, kind eyes, gentile eyes. Sei bella. You are beautiful Jessica.” And she hugged me again.

When she let go of me, I smiled, “Please, call me Jess. Everyone else does. And it’s very nice to me you, nanna!”

She smiled at me and then looked at all of us. “What are we doing out here. In, everyone, in house! David, conosci la strada e tua sorella è in cucina!”

“Grazie mamma!” he said, entering the house, Mom following.

“Come Jess.” Nanna said, “You walk with me, we have a lot of catching up to do!”

I smiled and took her arm. We walked into the house and were immediately in a large hall. I kicked off my trainers and followed nanna into a large kitchen-diner. It was light and airy, with flowers on the windows. Pans were simmering on the stove. Mom was leaning up against the table while Dad was embracing a woman, also with dark brown hair and tanned skin. She wore round glasses and shorts and t-shirt. I knew this was Anthea. She and Dad were talking in rapid Italian and laughing. Then Dad got Mom and the two women embraced like old friends, smiling. Then Dad waved over at me and I walked over.

“Anthea, may I introduce your niece, Jessica.”

“Jess, please. I only get called Jessica if I’m late or in trouble!”

Anthea hugged me, “It’s nice to meet you Jess. I’ve heard so much about you from conversations with my brother that I feel like I know you already.”

“Likewise!” I smiled.

“I hope you are all hungry. Mamma’s made enough food to feed a small army!”

“I’m starving!” smiled Dad.

“Stai sempre morendo di fame! Does Erin not feed you?”

Mom laughed, “I try!”

Anthea laughed and led us to the table. There were wine jugs and bread in the table. Then Nanna brought out two dishes of lasagna and some garlic bread and Anthea left and came back with a jug of juice for mom and I.

“David mentioned that you two don’t drink!” and she poured us clear liquid. “It’s elderflower and white grape!”

“Thank Anthea!” Mom smiled.

Nanna stood at the head of the table and smiled. She held her hands out, “Signore, grazie per il cibo davanti a noi, la famiglia e gli amici accanto a noi e l'amore tra di noi. Amen”

“Amen.” I replied, along with everyone else.

Nanna sat down and Dad served the food.

“Please, enjoy!” said Nanna, raising her glass. “Welcome to Italia. Buon appetito!"


	4. Chapter 4

By the third day, I had settled into life in Italy very well. The weather was amazing every day, as was Nanna’s cooking. We had decided to take a few rest days before heading off to explore. Dad had said that the first thing we would do, would be visiting Rome. When Anthea heard this, she said “You must let me take Jess to work with me that morning. She can come see inside the Pantheon and then meet up with you guys in the afternoon.”

Dad looked at Mom, “It would be nice to spend a morning with you in Rome. Just us two.”

Mom looked at me, “Would that be ok with you, sweet girl?” she asked.

I nodded, “Are you kidding? The Pantheon is the oldest Catholic Church in Rome. I’d love to go with Anthea!”

Dad laughed and shook his head, “I was unaware we’d brought Reid on holiday with us!”

I just stuck my tongue out at him and began discussing my trip to Rome with Anthea.

The next morning, I was up at six to leave with Anthea at seven. I got dressed quietly. Knowing I would be in churches all day, I wore jeans and a t-shirt with my lilac sneakers that Emily had gotten me for my birthday. I grabbed my bag and left the room. I walked down the hall and stopped at mom and dad’s room. The door was opened slightly, and I peered through. They were both still asleep, lying on their sides, with Dad’s arm draped over mom’s sleeping form. I smiled. I loved how in love my parents were and why shouldn’t they be? They had both been through a lot and they deserved each other now.

I pulled the door too and went downstairs. The kitchen and living room were deserted. I placed my bag in one of the armchairs. Nanna had made pastries the night before and as I made some coffee, I helped myself to one. Then I found a Tupperware box and put a few in for Anthea. I didn’t know if she would have eaten that morning, but I thought she might like some, and she could have saved them for lunch or something. I drank my coffee as I watched the sun climb behind the trees and suddenly, the whole kitchen was filled with light. I loved this house, it truly was magical at times. Just then a red fiat 500 rolled into the drive and I saw Anthea wave at me.

I put my cup in the sink, grabbed my bag and headed out the door. Remembering to head for the right side of the car, I opened the car door and sat down.

“Buongiorno!” Anthea smiled as I put on my seat belt.

“Hey!” I replied smiling, “Um, Nanna made pastries yesterday and I didn’t know if you had eaten so I grabbed you a few!”

She smiled at me as she reversed the car, “Thanks, Jess.”

I smiled back. Soon we were heading down the hill into the town. The lake looked beautiful as it always did in the mornings. The sun bounced off the water and the houses closest to the water were reflected on the surface.

“It’s beautiful round here!” I sighed, “I always thought that Potomac was nice but I could happily stay here forever!”

Anthea laughed, “I always loved the US but you’re right, here is home for me now.”

I looked at her, “You’re ten years younger than my dad. So when he joined the Marines you must have been…”

“Eight.” She replied, “I was born in Commack, Long Island, like Dave but then I moved out here when I was nine and a half. Papa died not too long after Dave joined up and Mamma couldn’t bear to be in the country without him.”

“Did you miss your brother?” I asked

“All the time!” She smiled, “We were very close as children. Dave would always look out for me. Its why I came to college in the US. I thought I might get a chance to hangout with my big brother.”

“Did you?” I asked, curious.

“We tried. It was just after you dad and James Gideon…”

“Jason.” I corrected.

“Right, Jason Gideon had founded the Behavioual Sciences Unit at the FBI and he was very busy. But we managed to meet up for a weekly coffee and maybe go for a film night or something. He was also expecting James but…”

I nodded. My half brother had tragically died the same day that he was born. It was the first crack in Dad and Caroline’s marriage.

“So, what was it like finding out who your real dad was?” she asked, changing the subject.

I smiled. We chatted and laughed the whole drive to Rome. It was great getting to know Anthea. Dad was right, we were very similar. We liked the same music, enjoyed the same films. We were both into history and religion. She was thrilled when I told her I was applying to do theology at college.

Rome was bustling already. It was a little after eight in the morning when we entered the city and already it was full of life. It looked like a scene out of history. The city was still built in stone and cobbled streets. Anthea smiled as she watched my face.

“She’s a beauty no?” she asked.

I nodded, trying to take everything in. In the distance I could see the dome of St Peter’s Basillica in Vatican City. We were heading there tomorrow. We passed by the Colosseum and pulled into a square opposite The Pantheon.

“Wow!” I said, completely taken aback.

Anthea smiled as she got out the car. I followed suit.

“You work here?” I asked.

She nodded, “Yep.” And she headed for the church. “The Pantheon is the oldest church in Rome. No one is quite sure as to when it was built exactly or how it has survived this long but here, she is.” She scanned her employee card. The door clicked open and I followed her in. We walked down a long corridor that seemed to be sloping downwards. “My office is under the main church. I’m going to put my stuff away and you can leave your bag and then I’ll show you round. I think Dave and Erin are meeting us in Piazza del Popolo just after eleven. I thought we’d walk over seeing as it was a nice day.”

I nodded, “Sounds good.” I couldn’t wait to see the inside of the church.

Anthea’s office was modest but cool. Papers and artifacts covered the tables and she had hundreds of books stacked up on shelves. I left my bag by the door. Anthea put her bag on her chair and placed her jacket on the back. She smiled at me.

“I can see your itching to get up there so let’s go!” She led the way back along the corridor but instead of going the whole way along, we turned left and headed up some stone stairs. There was a door at the top and Anthea stopped.

“I’m going to let you open it. I see this every day but it never fails to impress me. This is your first time. I want to see your reaction.”

I grinned back at her, twisted the door handle and opened the door.

We emerged into a bright, open space. My eyes instantly flitted upwards. Light was cascading in through the oculus, the whole in the roof. I walked forward, turning as I went, trying to see every angle. Soon I found myself in the middle of the church and I looked back at Anthea. She was stood a little way out from the door, her hands under her chin, smiling from ear to ear.

“Its… its amazing!” I said and my voice echoed.

“I know right!” Anthea walked over to me, “I love walking in everyday, especially if I’m here in the mornings when there’s no one else here. It’s so peaceful.”

“Excusi?” came male voice from over by the main doors, “Ci dispiace, ma non siamo ancora aperti!”

Anthea turned round, “Giovanni!” she smiled.

“Oh, Anthea, it you!” Giovanni replied in english.

“Sorry for startling you, but this is my niece, Jessica Rossi.”

I waved, “Buongiorno”

“Buongiorno Jessica.” He replied.

“It’s her first time to Italy and I thought I would bring her to work. We’re meeting my brother and her mamma later.”

“Welcome to Italia, Jessica.” He smiled, “Rossi? I know that name.”

“Er, its mine!” Anthea smiled.

Giovanni smiled too, “I know that!” he clicked his fingers, “Are you related to David Rossi, the American author?” he asked.

I nodded, smiling, “He’s my Dad!”

“And my brother!”

“Ah no way! I love his books!”

“Well, if you don’t tell anyone we’re here, I may just get him to sign you one!” smiled Anthea.

Giovanni winked and walked off.

“He’s a character!” I said.

Anthea laughed, “Yeah, that he is.”

Anthea gave me an in-depth tour of the church. She also showed me the archives and the displays that weren’t available to the public. We then walked across the city, stopping for an ice cream at one of the cafes. We got to Piazza del Popolo just before eleven. It was already busy, full of tourists and locals. I got dizzy just trying to look at everything. I was busy watching a young family take a photo when I heard someone call my name. I looked behind me and there was mom and dad, walking towards us.

Anthea then showed us round Santa Maria del Popolo before heading back to work. Mom, Dad and I explored the rest of the city before heading back to Nanna’s. She was very interested in my day and we chatted for hours out in the garden. Mom and Dad had gone off for a walk round the lake, just the two of them.

At around half ten in the evening, I headed for bed. I looked at my phone and saw that Penelope had sent me a photo of the team.

_Hope you are having fun. Missing you lots. P.G xxx_

I sent her back a photo of Mom, Dad and I by the Trevi fountain that afternoon with the caption;

_So much fun. Miss you guys lots too xxx_


	5. Chapter 5

We visited Vatican City the next day and that was just as good. St Peter’s Basillica was amazing and I became a sponge. I just absorbed information. It was hard to believe that we only had a week left in Italy. It had gone by so quickly. We made plans to head down the lake a few days after the Vatican City, just the three of us.

Nanna made us a picnic that morning. I helped. She was slowly teaching me how to cook and I was loving it. I cooked with Dad back home, when he relinquished control. Nanna, however, would stand back and talk me through it. This morning, she was teaching me how to make her salad dressing. I was just adding the vinegar to the honey and mustard seeds when Dad walked in.

Nanna smiled at him, “Your bambina sure can cook David!”

Dad smiled at me, “It’s in her blood.”

I smiled back, “You say that, but you rarely let me cook at home, or if you do you’re scrutinizing my every move!”

Nanna gasped, “David! I thought I taught you better than that!” she smiled at me, “Don’t worry, cucciola, you be all set for college when I finished with you.”

“You’ll be able to impress Jack when you get back!” he smiled.

“Oh? Who is this Jack?” asked Nanna, looking between me and Dad.

I glared at Dad. He smiled, “Did Jess not tell you? Jack’s her boyfriend!”

Nanna looked at me, “Why did I not know this?” she asked smiling,

“It’s complicated Nanna.” I replied, focusing on what I was doing. I looked up at Dad, “I thought the whole point of this trip was to take my mind off Jack!”

“Why, what’s wrong?” Nanna asked.

“I don’t want to talk about it!”

“What’s going on?” asked Mom, as she walked in.

“Ask Dad!” I said, putting my spoon down and walking out the door.

“Jess!” called Dad, “I’m sorry!” He went to follow me. Mom stopped him.

“Let me.” She kissed his cheek and followed me out.

“Jessica?” she called, “Baby girl, where are you?”

I ran down the length of the garden and sat down under the beech tree. It had become my favourite spot to go and read in the evening and I knew that whether it was mom or dad who followed me out, they would find me here. Sure enough, I heard Mom’s voice calling my name and then she was sitting down next to me.

“I see what you mean,” she said smiling, “This is a pretty cool space to come and sit.”

I looked at my hands.

“What happened, sweet girl. One minute, you were cooking with Antonia and then you were running out the door.”

I sighed, “Dad brought up Jack.”

“Ah,” mom said, understandingly, “You hadn’t told Nanna?”

I shook my head, “One of the reasons for coming away was so that I could forget about Jack and Scratch and just relax and have fun.”

“You know, Dad didn’t mean to upset you. He probably assumed that you told nanna about Jack.”

I nodded, pulling up a bit of grass.

“Oh, Jess,” she sighed and she pulled me into her. I wrapped my arms round her waist, resting my head on her shoulder, “it won’t always be like this. We’ll get Scratch and Jack and Aaron can come home.”

“I know. I just miss him.”

“I know you do, baby girl, I know you do!”

“Jessie, Erin, are you guys down here?” Dad was calling us.

“By the beech tree, Dave!” shouted Mom.

I looked up to see Dad running over.

“Hey.” He said softly, smiling, “I’m sorry. I didn’t think when I mentioned Jack.”

I stood up and hugged him, “It’s ok. I know you didn’t mean to upset me.”

Dad hugged me back, breathing out in relief, “We good then?”

I nodded, smiling, “Always!”

“Good,” said Mom, “Otherwise this would have been a really awkward day trip!”

We laughed and walked back up to the house. Dad got the picnic basket and put it in the car. I hugged Nanna and thanked her for teaching me how to cook and then we drove off to the lake.

“How about we walk round the lake for a bit, have lunch and walk back. We might even have time to look in the village on the way back.”

Both Mom and I agreed and we headed off round the lake. It was a beautiful day and Mom and Dad strolled hand in hand while I walked on ahead. We chatted about a whole range of things, from the gossip of the BAU to plans that I had with Ashley for the rest of the summer to when we were going to go shopping for college.

“I can’t believe that I have to go college shopping!” said Mom, “What happened to my baby?”

“Mom!” I groaned.

“What?” she smiled, “I just can’t understand where the time has gone. It seems like only yesterday we were wondering round Disney together.”

I laughed, “I was six, Mom. I think I was more interested in meeting characters than anything else.”

“Who was your favourite?” asked Dad.

“Oh she was, and still is a huge Winnie the Pooh fan, so it was all about meeting Pooh Bear.”

“Mom!” I said again but this time I was laughing.

“Every morning it was ‘Momma, let’s go we have to find Pooh Bear! C’mon Momma, we have to go!’”

“Did you find him?” asked Dad, smiling.

Mom shook her head, “She was heartbroken and vowed never to watch Winnie the Pooh again!”

Dad laughed, “How long did that last?”

“Until we were on the plane home!”

We all laughed.

Half an hour later, we decided to stop for some lunch. We ate and chatted some more and then we sat around for a bit. Mom lay on her back and fell asleep. I was reading my book and Dad was packing away the food things. Then he got up and walked over to the water. I watched him for a bit, before marking my place and walking over to him.

“Whatcha thinking about?” I asked, staring out over the lake.

“About a case we had a few years ago. The UnSub had lung cancer and was slowly dying but he wanted to know what life after death was like so he was drowning his victims and trying to bring them back to life.”

“Charming.” I replied.

Dad smiled, “It’s the job. There aren’t many places I can go these days without being reminded of a case or an UnSub or a victim.”

I sighed, “Jack wants to join the BAU.”

Dad looked at me, “I had a feeling.”

“Aaron’s trying to talk him out of it.” I replied.

“I’m not surprised. The job cost Aaron so much over the years. He lost his wife because of it.”

“I don’t remember Hayley all that well. You and mom weren’t dating and after she and Aaron divorced, she didn’t come to the office. The only times I saw her where when Jack and I had play dates.”

Dad smiled, “She was lovely. I know it was messy between her and Hotch, but she loved him, she really did. She just couldn’t be involved in the job any more and she wanted to protect Jack from it too.”

I laughed, “Well that worked!”

Dad smiled, “I think that’s because of everything that happened. Jack lost him mom and then he saw you being interrogated for Jason’s murder and learnt about everything you went through. If Hayley was still with us, I couldn’t see Jack joining the BAU.”

“What if your still on the team when he joins? Will that be weird? I mean you’ve seen him grow up!”

Dad thought for a minute, “It would be at first, but I think I would get used to it.”

I smiled. “Good.”

We both looked out over the lake watching the sun sink in the sky.

“We’ll get them back, you know.” Dad said, not taking his eyes of the horizon, “Scratch won’t win. We’ll get them home.”

I looked out as the sun cast a long shadow over the lake, hoping to God he was right.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a lot longer than the others but it is Dave and Erin centric hence why the POV changes. Faith and Robert are characters from my 'Robert Langdon Series' stories. They got included as I needed someone to look after Jess or for Jess to know while Erin and Dave went exploring. I think I also said that Jess is 17 when they take this trip but when I look back at my timeline, she's 16 to turn 17 that December. This means Jack and Hotch are still in witsec but have only been gone a couple of months, hence why Jess didn't want to talk about them.

Dave Rossi woke early the next morning. Beside him lay his sleeping partner. She looked so peaceful that he didn’t want to disturb her. Grabbing his pajama top, he headed out into the hall. He walked about twenty paces and found Jess’ room. He pushed the door open slowly. Jess was fast asleep on her back, one arm above her head, the other across her stomach. Again, she looked so peaceful but he had to wake her up. He walked in quietly and crouched down by the side of her bed.

“Jess?” he said softly, tapping her on the shoulder, “Bambina, wake up.”

She moaned softly and opened her eyes, “Dad?” she asked sleepily, “What time is it?”

“Just after five.” He replied, smiling.

“Then why are you up?” she asked, rubbing her eye.

“I thought we might go to Florence for the day.” Jess sat up, intrigued, “I thought that might peak your interest!” Dave smiled, “I wanted to surprise your mom, but we need to get the car ready and the maps set up. Wanna be my co-pilot?”

Jess nodded, “Wait, can I pick the music?”

Rossi sighed, “I’m going to regret this but, sure!”

“Yes!” said Jess smiling.

Between the two of them, they got the car ready, themselves ready and the maps printed off by half six. Jess was making breakfast and Dave had gone to get Erin up.

He entered their room and light was coming in through the slats in the blinds, falling on Erin, and making her, if possible, more beautiful. He smiled. What had he done to deserve the love of this woman? He had been in love with her for more than thirty years and she was his, and she loved him too. He crawled onto his side of the bed and kissed her cheek. Erin sighed and rolled over to face him, her eyes opening slowly.

“Morning, David.” She smiled.

“Morning bella.” He replied, smiling as well.

Erin stretched, “What time is it?”

“Quarter to seven.” He replied.

“And your dressed?” she sat up, “Who are you and what have you done with David Rossi?”

Dave chuckled, “I thought I would take you out for the day. My treat.”

Erin smiled, “That sounds nice, but you treat me all the time.”

“Well, that’s cause I love you!”

“I love you too, but what about Jess?”

Dave smiled, “I’ve got it sorted. Just get dressed. Wear something comfy on your feet!” and he kissed her and left the room.

Half an hour later, they were in the car. Erin sat in the middle seat in the back and Jess was in the front with the map. They would have used the Sat Nav in the car, but then Erin would have seen where they were going. Jess was also messaging her friend Faith and her Dad, Robert, who were in Florence as well. They came across every year as Faith’s dad lectured at the summer art conference. They had made plans to meet up so that Rossi and Erin could have the day to themselves, but they were all going for coffee first. Jess was keeping Faith updated as to where they were.

“What are we listening to now Jess?” asked Dave, smiling as they drove through Poschini.

“The Chainsmokers!” she smiled, as _Somebody_ blasted through the car.

“This is music?” he asked.

Jess rolled her eyes, “Dad, you need educating on music that isn’t Jonny Mathis or Billy Joel or Dean Martin!”

Dave laughed.

“I quite like them!” said Erin from the back.

“See Dad!” smiled Jess, “Your missing out!”

“If you say so!” smiled Dave, waiting for the time when Jess would change the music again.

They carried on driving. Jess watched the scenery go by. Italy really was beautiful. Sometimes you got lucky in the states, especially if you were in the rural parts of the country, but other than that it was all concrete. She loved watching the fields go by, sometimes seeing a house or a farm. There weren’t many cars on the road either, but then, it was about half eight in the morning. They stopped in a little village on the A1 called Ciliegi. Dave wanted to stretch and Jess and Erin needed the toilet. Dave bought them coffee and they all piled back into the car. Jess looked at her phone. Faith had sent a selfie of her and her dad outside the Cathedral with the caption _Can’t wait to see you!_

Jess smiled and replied, _We’re about half an hour away! Just done a coffee stop! Can’t wait to see you either!_

They drove the rest of the way and Erin gasped as they entered the city.

“Dave, are… are we in Florence?”

Dave smiled in the rear view mirror, “Of course, Tesoro!”

“Oh, I’ve always wanted to come to Florence!” she smiled and looked out the window.

“Faith and Robert are at the cathedral. They said it was the best place to meet.”

Dad nodded, “That’s where I was heading. You’re not the only one with contacts!”

I smiled, forgetting that Robert was part of Rossi’s poker group. That’s how Faith and Jess met. Robert was in D.C, doing work with the cathedral and Dave heard about it and invited him for poker. Robert said he couldn’t leave Faith and the two of them had been friends ever since. They tried to meet up as often as they could, but it was hard as Faith lived in Harvard and Jess lived in Bethesda. But now they were meeting in Florence and Jess couldn’t wait. Robert was a professor in Religious Symbology at Harvard and was world famous, having consulted on a few high profile cases. Jess was impressed at how clever he was and admired the passion he had for his subject.

Rossi parked the car in Piazza del Duomo and they walked the length of the cathedral. As they walked past the tower, Jess saw Faith and screamed. Rossi and Erin jumped out of their skin but smiled as they saw the two girls run at each other, hugging on impact.

“David!” called Robert, smiling. He was wearing his usual tweed jacket, shirt and pants, but had sunglasses on. “Good to see you again!”

David shook the man’s hand smiling, “It’s good to see you too, Robert!” He looked at Erin, who smiled, shielding her eyes from the sun, “This is my other half, Erin Strauss.”

“Pleasure!” smiled Erin, shaking his hand.

“Erin is Jessica’s mom.” Dave explained. Robert furrowed his brow confused. “It’s complicated!”

Robert chuckled. “Isn’t everything?”

“Amen to that!”

“Are you sure your going to be okay with both of them?” asked Erin, smiling. Jess and Faith were stood in front of the tower, taking selfies and catching up animatedly.

Robert grinned, “I can’t wait!”

Dave smiled, “Thanks for this, by the way!”

Robert shook his head, “No worries. I know how much Faith misses Jess and how well they get on. You guys enjoy your day.”

“Thanks. We’ll meet you later?”

Robert smiled, “There’s a restaurant just over there. Ristorante da Lino. Meet at 7?”

“Sounds good to me!”

“Jessie!” called Erin and her daughter came running over, “Please be good for Mr Langdon and we’ll see you later!”

“I will mom, and enjoy your day with dad!” she kissed her on the cheek and went back to Faith.

“Shall we, Ms. Strauss?” asked Dave, offering his hand.

“Well, Mr. Rossi, I never thought you’d never ask!” and she took his hand.

They walked off in silence at first. As they got to the river, Erin asked, “Where are we going David?”

Dave smiled, “I thought we’d go for a walk round the Boboli Gardens for a while and then see what took our fancy.”

Erin smiled and rested his head on his shoulder. “Sounds good to me!”

They got to the gardens and David found a bench under the shade of a tree where they sat for a while.

“This is so nice of you David!” Erin said, looking at him.

“Well, I had to make time for my number one girl.” He replied, “We’ll be back at work before you know it and then it’ll be the normal routine. I wanted just one day with you, without my mother breathing down my neck wondering when we’re going to get married.”

Erin laughed, “I’m sure she means well.”

Dave laughed too, “I’m sure she does but she must have learnt by now that marriage and I are not a good mix.”

Erin nodded smiling, “That is true. How many times has it been, four? Five?”

Dave glared at her, “You’re worse than Emily, you know. I’ve only been married three times and one of those times was for 36 hours. I’m not sure that even counts!”

Erin laughed, “Oh, I love winding you up! It’s so easy!”

Dave rolled his eyes, “It’s a good thing, I love you!” he said, putting his arm round her shoulder. She nested her head into his shoulder and sighed.

“I could stay here forever, just you and me.”

Dave smiled, “I think a certain daughter of ours would have something to say about that!”

Erin smiled, “She’s like her dad, inquisitive, smart, stubborn at times!”

“Hey!” he rebuked, “she gets some of that stubbornness from you, I’ll have you know!”

Erin laughed again and it was like music to David’s ears. “That was one of the first things I fell in love with.” He said, softly.

“What? Me being stubborn?” she replied, confused.

“No, your laugh. You never laughed at work; you were always the professional. But when we would meet at hotels or bed and breakfasts, you would always laugh and smile, and it was a beautiful thing to hear.”

Erin blushed, “Well, for me, it was your tenderness. You always seemed so focused at work, hard headed and not afraid to push to get something done. But I knew you could be so gentle, so kind. I wish more people could have known you like that!”

Dave smiled, “Look at us now!”

Erin looked up at him, “It’s only taken us thirty odd years!”

David looked down into those piercing blue eyes that were looking softly into his. “I don’t half love you Erin Strauss!”

“I love you, David Rossi!” and she kissed him passionately.

Reluctantly, David pulled them apart.

“What?” asked Erin.

“Let’s find a hotel!” smiled David and the two of them walked off, like lovesick teenagers.

Several hours later, they emerged back onto the streets of Florence. David looked at his watch.

“It’s 4 pm!” he laughed, “What can we do?”

Erin laughed, “So much for seeing Florence!”

“Shall we head back to the cathedral and see if we can get in for a bit?” he asked, “We need to tell Jess that we did something other than spend all day in a hotel room!”

Erin nodded and they set off, retracing the route they took this morning.

“Isn’t this the church that Dante, the poet was baptized in?” she asked as they reached the familiar sight of the cathedral.

“Do I look like Reid?” Dave asked, “We’ll have to ask someone!”

Erin chuckled, “Jess would know!”

“She’s a mini-Reid. She’s got more brains than you or I put together. Where does she get it from?”

Erin shook her head, “She works hard, and she enjoys it!”

Dave smiled and they entered the cathedral.

Before they knew it, it was ten to seven and they headed off for the restaurant that Robert had told them to meet at. They were already there and Jess got off her chair and ran into the arms of her mother.

“Hey, sweet girl!” she smiled, kissing the top of her forehead, “Did you have a nice day?”

Jess nodded, “Robert took us into the cathedral and the baptistry out the front which is where Dante was baptized. They we headed for the Boboli gardens and the Hall of 500. We also found Dante’s death mask!”

Erin smiled, “Sounds like you had a good day!”

“It’s been the best. Faith and I had an ice cream on the banks of the river as well!”

“Have you had a good day as well, Faith?” asked Dave

Faith nodded, “Its been nice having someone my own age here for once!”

Robert smiled. “How was your day?” he asked Erin and Dave.

“Amazing!” smiled Mom. “I’ve really enjoyed myself.”

“I’m glad. It’s a beautiful city.” Replied Robert, “What did you do?”

Dave smiled, “We walked round the gardens then walked into the city and finished at the cathedral.”

“And now I’m famished!” smiled Erin, “Lets eat!”

The six of them all sat down together and had a lovely meal. But all too soon it was time to say goodbye. Faith and Robert walked Jess, Dave and Erin to their car. Jess hugged Faith.

“We’ll see you soon! You should come and stay before school starts in the fall!”

“We’d be happy to have you stay!” added Dave.

“Anytime!” added Erin, “You’re more than welcome. Both of you!” she smiled at Robert. “Thank you for having Jess today.”

“It was my pleasure. I’m glad they had fun and you guys did too.”

Erin looked at Dave and smiled. Jess caught the look in their eyes and smiled too. “Thanks Robert. It meant a lot!” and she hugged the professor.

Robert and Dave shook hands and Jess hugged Faith one last time before climbing into the back of the car. They waved at the Langdon’s as they drove off into the night.

“So come on,” Jess smiled, “What were you guys really doing?”

“What do you mean?” asked Erin blushing.

Jess smiled. “I know that you didn’t walk round the city!”

Dave looked at his daughter and smiled, “I don’t know what you’re talking about!” but he gave her a wink and she laughed.


	7. Chapter 7

I couldn’t believe how quickly our two weeks in Italy had gone. It seemed like only yesterday, we had rolled into the driveway of Nanna’s house and now we were packing our things, ready to head back to the states. Mom and Dad still had another week off so we had made plans to do things in the capital that we wouldn’t normally get to do, and Dad was going to start his next book. Joy, Shawn and Kai were also coming across for that week. I couldn’t wait to see my sister and tell her all the things we had been up to.

Saying goodbye to Nanna was so hard. I didn’t know when I would next be out here. I hugged her tightly, trying to remember how she smelt, the smell of Italy and baking and roses.

“Don’t be sad, cucciola, we will see each other soon.”

I smiled, “It’s been wonderful meeting you Nanna. You’re an amazing person.”

She smiled, “It’s been lovely getting to know my grandbaby. I really am one lucky person.” She hugged me again, “But next time you come, you better bring this Jack. I need to make a-sure he is right for my grandbaby!”

I laughed, “Of course Nanna.”

I moved onto Anthea as Mom and Dad said their goodbyes to Nanna.

“Promise you’ll call and text?” she asked

I nodded, “Of course. You’re going to be my speed-dial when I get to college.”

She smiled, “If you need anyone to read over essays, I’ll happily do it!”

“Thanks Anthea!”

“And if you need to talk about Jack or the situation with Scratch and you don’t want to talk to Dave or Erin, I’m always here.”

“How did you…”

“What? You think David’s the only profiler in this family?” she smiled, “I spent a lot of my time at college in that bunker. I picked up a thing or two!”

I hugged her tightly, “Thank you!” I whispered.

She squeezed gently, “Anytime.”

And that was that. We got into the car and waved as we drove off down the drive. A tear leaked out the side of my face. Dad smiled at me in the mirror.

“Chin up Jess, we’ll come out again soon!”

I smiled back. The drive to the airport seemed quicker on the way back and soon we were going back through security and boarding the plane. I settled back in my seat and looked out the window.

“You ok, Jess?” asked Mom watching me.

I nodded. The plane took off and soon we were cruising above the clouds. I hadn’t taken my gaze off the window. Mom looked at Dad and he shrugged. So mom undid her seatbelt and came and sat next to me. She wrapped her arms round my shoulders and pulled me back into her.

I had no idea how long we sat like that for but it was nice.

“What’s wrong, sweetie?” she asked, “You can tell me.”

I sighed, “I don’t know how to do it.” I whispered.

“Do what?” she asked

“Go on without Jack.”

Mom kissed the top of my forehead, “You’ll find a way.”

“It was so much easier here. We were so busy, and it wasn’t like home where I’m surrounded by the BAU and the constant reminder that there’s a psychopath after the team.”

“I know, baby, I know. But the team will stop him.”

“What if Jack doesn’t come back? What if he finds another girl where he is and he likes her more than me and he doesn’t have any way of telling me it’s over because we can’t communicate and…”

“Jess,” Mom smiled kindly, “That isn’t going to happen. Jack loves you and you love him. You’ll get through this. Remember when all the stuff with Jason was going on? You never gave in then and you won’t now. I know you Jess, you’re too stubborn to give up!”

I laughed softly.

“That’s better. Now shall we see if we can find a film to watch?”

We landed in Washington just after two in the afternoon. Jet lag was going to be awful but I didn’t care. I had had the best holiday ever. Jack Garrett was picking us up again and was waiting in the arrivals lounge along with his daughter Emma. Emma was a few months older than me and we were quite close. I would stay at her house sometimes if both mom and dad were on a case.

“Hey!” she said, smiling, “How was Italy?”

“Amazing!” I smiled back and told her all about it on the way back to the car.

“Sounds like you guys had a busy two weeks!” said Jack as he and Dad climbed in the front and Mom, Emma and I climbed in the back.

Mom smiled, “It was worth it though. It was good to get away.”

“And we’ve still got a week off. My daughter Joy and her family are coming across tomorrow for a week.”

“You do know it’s a vacation, don’t you?” laughed Jack, “You’re meant to relax?”

Dad laughed, “Me? Relax? I don’t think I know what that word means.”

I woke up late the next morning and was greeted by Mudgie licking my nose. I scratched him behind the ears, pulled on a t-shirt, sweatpants and hoodie and heading out on to the landing. The house was quiet and I assumed that Mom and dad had gone to the airport for Joy. I walked down into the kitchen to make myself a coffee. The washing machine was on and their was washing on the line so someone had been up already. I walked over to the coffee pot, it was still warm so I poured a cup. I went and sat at the breakfast island and saw that one of my books was still there. I picked it up. It was _Atonement._ I smiled and opened the book to the first page;

_The Play for which Briony had designed the posters, programmes and tickets, constructed the sales booth out of a folding screen tipped on its side, and lined the collection box in red paper- was written by her in a two day tempest of composition that caused her to miss a breakfast and a lunch._

I was so lost in my reading that I didn’t hear mom come into the kitchen and make a fresh pot of coffee. It was only when she sat next to me and coughed did I notice she was there.

“Hey Mom.” I smiled.

“Seriously, you _are_ worse than Reid when you are reading.”

I laughed, “Sorry Mom. I got too engrossed in what I was reading.”

“I could tell. What you reading this time?”

“Atonement.”

“Haven’t you read that one already?” she asked, amused.

I nodded again. “Where’s Dad?”

“Gone to pick up Joy and her gang!” she smiled, “So enjoy the peace while it lasts. I doubt Kai will let you read much!”

I smiled, “He doesn’t know all my secret hiding places.”

Mom sighed and shook her head, “What am I going to do with you?”

I smiled, “You’ll be beaming if I get into Princeton!” and I went off to put some jeans on.

Twenty minutes later, Joy and Shawn walked in through the door.

“Jess!” smiled Joy as she saw me curled up on the sofa, now half way through _Atonement._

“Hey Joy!” I stood up and hugged my sister, I then stepped back, “Oh my days!”

Joy smiled, “Surprise!” she put her hands on the small, but growing pregnancy bump!

“When? What?” I smiled, “You’re pregnant?”

Joy laughed, “Yeah! I’m about four months gone now. Due in the winter!”

“The best babies are born in winter.” Smiled Mom, coming over to hug Joy, “Congratulations!”

“Thanks Erin. Dad nearly fainted when he saw.”

I laughed, “I bet.”

“Did you have a good flight over?” asked Mom as I hugged Shawn and congratulated him.

“Yeah, Kai slept the whole flight.”

“Where is my nephew anyway?” I asked, smiling.

“Dad was out in the front yard with him. He hasn’t stopped talking the whole way home!”

I laughed and went out to find them.

“Look Kai, look who it is!” Dad pointed at me.

“Aunt Jessie, Aunt Jessie!” and he ran at me. I picked him up and spun him round. He giggled.

“Hey, Kai. How are you?”

“I’m good. Grandpa came and got us from the airport!”

I smiled, “That’s good. Shall we go find Grandma? I know she’d love to see you!”

Kai nodded and ran inside. I went and hugged Dad.

“What’s that for?” he asked, hugging me back.

“I love you, you know that right?”

He nodded, “I love you too.”

I smiled, “Let’s go inside.” And linking his arm in mine, we walked back into the house.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the final chapter. I am currently writing a sequel that will be called 'California Dreamin'' set the Christmas following this

Joy, Shawn and Kai settled in quickly. We began to plan what we could do while they were over. I wanted to take Kai into the capitol and take him round some of the museums there. Mom and Dad wanted to have a BBQ one evening and Joy and Shawn were quite happy to go along with the crowd.

We finally decided to take Kai to the Smithsonian Zoological Park and Amazonia. Joy thought he would enjoy that more than he would the museums. Plus they were outdoors and the weather was beautiful.

On the day that we were going to go, Kai ran into my room just after seven and jumped on me.

“Aunt Jessie, wake up!” he giggled, “We’re going to the Zoo today!”

I smiled and rubbed sleep out of my eyes, “I know buddy, but no one else is up yet.”

“Oh.” He looked downcast.

I smiled at him, “Come on, I know where we can go and wait!”

I climbed out of bed and took his hand. We climbed the stairs to the attic.

“Where are we going?” asked Kai, curiously.

“My secret hangout, so you can’t tell anyone!”

Kai giggled and said, “okay Aunt Jessie.”

I opened the door and the top of the stairs and let Kai go in first.

“Wow!” he smiled, “This is yours?”

I nodded, “Grandpa and Derek Morgan converted it for me. It’s my study den stroke chill out space. It’s where Jack and I have our date nights sometimes!”

“Cool. I like it!”

“Good. You wanna watch a movie?” I asked.

Kai nodded and headed for the sofa. We decided to watch Labyrinth. As I sat down on the sofa, Kai came and snuggled into me.

An hour into the film, Mom came and knocked on the door.

“There you are!” she smiled, “We wondered where you’d gone.”

I smiled, “Kai came and woke me up, so I brought him up here so as not to wake anyone else up.”

Mom smiled, “That was very thoughtful of you Jess.”

I shrugged, “Just seemed like the logical thing to do.”

“C’mon. Dad’s cooking breakfast.”

“Is he doing pancakes?” I asked.

Mom nodded, “And bacon, and eggs and lots of toast by the looks of things.”

“Can I have chocolate chip pancakes?” asked Kai, taking his eyes off the TV.

“You’ll have to ask your momma.” I smiled.

“Okay!” and Kai jumped off the sofa and ran down the stairs.

Dad made a wonderful breakfast. Kai was allowed chocolate chip pancakes and I added banana and peanut butter to mine. Mom, Dad, Shawn and Joy had a mix of bacon, eggs, toast and pancakes. We then got dressed and bundled into the SUV. Mom and Dad rode in the front, Joy, Shawn and Kai sat in the middle three and I settled my self in the back. We could have easily taken two cars but it made sense just to head in the one.

It took us just under an hour to drive from home to the Zoo. Kai fell asleep half an hour in but Joy managed to bring him round just before we got the entrance. He then didn’t stop bouncing. I managed to convince him to hold my hand as we walked up to the ticket desk, but as soon as we were in the Zoo, he was off. He ran straight for the first enclosure and I chased after him.

“Is Jess going to be ok with Kai?” asked Joy, holding onto Shawn’s arm.

Dad laughed, “She’ll be fine. She loves Kai.”

“He can be a bit of a handful!” added Shawn.

“She’s looked after Henry and Michael Jareau, the four Simmons kids and Hank Morgan all in one go before,” smiled Mom, “She’ll be fine.”

Joy smiled and rested her head on Shawn’s shoulder, “It’s going to be odd not chasing after him.”

“Make the most of it!” smiled Shawn, “Soon there will be two of them to run after!”

Joy smiled, “I can’t wait!”

“Momma, momma, come and see what I’ve found!” Joy smiled at her husband and they followed their son. Mom and Dad smiled and followed suit.

We had an amazing morning wondering round the Zoo and seeing all the animals. I managed to wind up the adults by teaching Kai “Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!” from the Wizard of Oz and its all he said until we had lunch.

“Lions and tigers and bears, oh my! Lions and tigers and bears, oh my! Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!” Kai chanted as he skipped ahead. I was giggling uncontrollably watching Dad trying not to say anything. He tapped me on the shoulder.

“I’ll get you back!” he whispered in my ear, smiling.

I just laughed, “What?” I said innocently, “I only quoted something from a film, it’s not my fault he’s repeating it!”

Dad gave me a look as if to say ‘yeah right!’ but dropped the matter.

“Shall we find somewhere for lunch?” asked Mom, looking at everyone.

“Lions and tigers and bears, oh my! Yes please, nanna!” said Kai, finally stopping his mantra.

I looked at Dad, “See?” I mouthed, “Not my fault!”

Dad shook his head, smiling.

Joy and Shawn were up for finding food. So, we headed for Mane Grill as it was one of the only places open. Mom found a table and we started to add chairs and another table so that we all had enough space to sit.

“Aunt Jessie, can you sit next to me?” asked Kai

“What’s the magic word?” Shawn reminded him, smiling as he sat next to Dad.

“Please!”

I smiled at my nephew, “Of course I can.” And I sat down next to him. Joy sat on his other side and mom sat next to Joy. Dad was sat on my other side with Shawn next to him. We had a lovely lunch. It was mainly burgers and stuff you would find on a grill but that was fine as we would have toast or something when we got in. Kai demolished a half burger, fries and salad before having a scoop of ice cream. Joy didn’t seem worried. Having seen her son run round all morning she was convinced he would be the same this afternoon.

Speaking of the afternoon, we headed for DinoRoars. Kai was obessed with dinosaurs and all things prehistoric at the moment and Shawn thought it would be a good way to wear him out. I gave him a shoulder ride as we walked from the restaurant to the attraction. As soon as I saw the main sign, I got him off my shoulders and he ran straight ahead.

“Kai!” I shouted after him, “Wait for me!”

Kai giggled and carried on running. I caught him in my arms and threw him in the air. He laughed his head off. I put him down again and we walked off in search of dinosaurs.

“She’ll make a great mom some day!” smiled Joy, the four adults having just watched the scene in front of them.

Mom smiled, tears in her eyes, “I know.”

“You’ve got a great kid there!” added Shawn.

Dad squeezed Mom’s hand, “We’re very lucky.” And he kissed the top of her forehead. Then they followed us in.

“Grandpa, grandpa!” called Kai, pointing up at a dinosaur, “Look Grandpa!”

Dad looked up in mock fear, “Oh help! It’s too scary for Grandpa!”

Kai looked sympathetically, “It’s okay, Grandpa!” he smiled, “I’ll hold your hand and we can go together!”

Dad smiled at his grandson, “I’d like that very much.”

The end of the day came almost too quickly. The drive back was very sedated compared to the animated chatter on the way up. Joy was doing everything she could to keep Kai awake until they got home. Shawn lifted him out the car and he smiled sleepily at Mom and Dad.

“Thank you for a fun day out Nanna and Grandpa!”

“No worries, kiddo. It was our pleasure!”

“Sweet dreams!” said Mom, waving as Shawn carried him up the stairs.

Joy and I collapsed on the sofa, smiling.

“You ok?” I asked her, as she rubbed her belly.

She nodded, “Just tired. Everything becomes ten times harder when your pregnant!” she smiled.

I smiled back, “I’m sure it does.”

“Thanks for looking after Kai today!”

“It was fun. Its like having a little brother!”

“Do you sometimes wish that your mom and Dave had gotten together sooner and maybe you might have had a little brother or sister?”

“Sometimes, but then it would have been mom’s fourth child. I mean, I wasn’t exactly planned!”

“Sometimes the best things happen by accident!” smiled Joy.

“That’s true. But no, I’m happy the way things are. Maybe I’ll have a little boy one day.”

“Who knows?” Joy said, closing her eyes.

We had a lovely rest of the week with Joy and Kai but the best part was the grill out that we had at the end of the week. Dad invited the team over who just so happened to have gotten back from a case. The first person I found was Penelope and I gave her a massive hug.

“I missed you, baby Italian.” She smiled.

“I missed you too. Thanks for the photos!”

“Likewise. Who was the dashingly handsome man in the ones from Florence?”

“Oh that was Faith’s dad, Robert!”

“Is he single?” she asked, smiling.

I laughed, “I honestly don’t know!”

“What good are you?” and she walked off shaking her head. I smiled

“What was all that about?” asked JJ coming over with Emily.

“She wanted to know if my Dad’s friend was single!”

Emily shook her head, “I don’t know why she’s asking, she has a boyfriend.”

JJ smiled, “Well, he was pretty good looking and I’m married!”

We laughed.

“How was the holiday?” asked Emily.

“Really good. My nanna is amazing. She taught me to cook while we were out there and I got to go with my Aunt to her work which was so cool!”

JJ smiled, “And you were worried they wouldn’t like you? Sound like you got some family in your corner now!”

I nodded, “Anthea even offered to helped me with my essay if I get into college!”

“Sounds like you won’t be needed us anymore…” said JJ, with a smile on her face.

“Yeah… maybe we should see if there are any other FBI bosses who have young children to take under our wings…” added Emily

“Oh, very funny guys…”

“Ooh, what about one of Jack Garrett’s children? I think his youngest is thirteen? Could work!” said JJ

“Hey!” I said, interrupting them, “I’m always going to need you guys. You were my family first. Just because I got some real family now, doesn’t mean I won’t need my chosen family! Who’s going to be my character reference for Princeton?” I asked Emily and she smiled, “Who’s children am I going to babysit every weekend?” I asked JJ. “You guys were there for me growing up. You helped to show me right from wrong. I still remember JJ doing my hair for ballet practice when I was five, or Emily attempting to do Spencer’s physics magic when he wasn’t looking. I’ll always need you guys. I love you too much!”

“Aww, we love you too Jess!” said Emily, smiling.

JJ just went in for the hug, which Emily joined in.

“Ooh, hugs are happening! I want in!” and Garcia came over.

I had the best time in Rome. It was great getting to know my nanna and my aunt, but I had the best family at home.

THE END


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